


Bon Appétit

by yesterday



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Porn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 14:23:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2854064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yesterday/pseuds/yesterday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba, Noiz, and snapshots of their first year together in Germany.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bon Appétit

**Author's Note:**

> this is my dmmd secret santa fic for paranoiao @ tumblr! the request was for lots of shared food kisses, but i kind of ran away with the idea. enjoy, and happy holidays!

"Hey, wake up."

"Mmm... five more minutes."

"Want me to carry you up then? I don't mind."

The smooth motion of the car slows as it rounds a curve before pulling to a gentle stop. Stirring groggily, Aoba pushes blinks his eyes open and pulls his head off of Noiz's shoulder. Disoriented, and still half-asleep, he struggles to remember where he is before his eyes fly open.

Germany. He's-- no, him and Noiz are in Germany. That's right, they flew out of Midorijima hours ago, and Aoba had been too restless and nervous on the plane to sleep at all. After they left the airport, a car had been waiting to take them to where they would be staying, and he drifted off not long after they started moving.

"We're here already?!" Leaning past Noiz, Aoba peers out through the tinted window, eyes wide. From what he can see out of the window, they've parked in front of a large, white apartment building with arched windows set in neat rows, interrupted by occasional balconies along its facade. If he had to describe it in one word, it would be utterly foreign. Nothing like what the architecture back home resembled, and less modern than Platinum Jail's furnishings.

"Not already. You were asleep for an hour." Eyes on the profile of Aoba's face, Noiz's mouth curves upwards. "This is it. Let's go."

Opening the door, he steps out first, Aoba scrambling after him, pulling his usual bag along with the extra duffel he brought with him. He tips his head back, trying to take in as much of-- well, everything as he can. "Wow..."

Making their way through the lobby and into the elevator, Aoba can't help fidgeting, catching sight of his reflection in the mirror that surrounds the four walls of the elevator. His face is drawn into a mask of trepidation, hair mussed from napping. Finding Noiz's hand, he laces his fingers through his. Somehow it still hasn't sunk in yet- that this is real, and that he's here, thousands of miles away from everything he's ever known.

"Nervous?" Correctly interpreting Aoba's expression, Noiz fixes his eyes on him.

"...a little, yeah. Everything is so different, it's kind of overwhelming." And he doesn't speak a single word of German, which made it all the more nerve-wracking. Thankfully Noiz had been present to help him navigate through the busy, bustling airport, with its sprawl of terminals.

"Don't be." Noiz raises their twined hands, pressing his mouth to them. "This time, you can depend on me."

"Hah? What are you going on about? In case you forgot, I'm still the older one here." Grumbling, Aoba turns his face away. "But... I'm glad. That I'm here with you. So even though I'm nervous, I'm excited too."

There's a beat or two of silence before Noiz replies. "Your ears are all red."

The elevator stops with a faint _ding_ , and the doors slide open. Aoba is the first one out , Noiz hot on his heels. An undercurrent of laughter runs through his voice. "Hey. Do you even know where you're going? I don't mind if you're embarrassed, but you should slow down."

"Shut up!! Who's embarrassed--!" Spinning around, he stops and glares at Noiz. Not only his ears, but his face is flushed too. "Which way is it?"

"Well, I'm not complaining. It looks good on you." He wraps an arm around Aoba's waist, tugging him close before leaning in to deliver a long, slow kiss that prompts Aoba to clutch Noiz helplessly, his legs growing weak. Easing off of him somewhat reluctantly, Noiz's eyes are bright and intent on Aoba. His voice is a low, promising roll, and he says, "I want to see more of it from now on, so..."

Scooping Aoba up (bags and all) in a single, easy movement, he starts heading down the corridor. "It's this way."

"Ah--! Hey- this again? I can walk on my own, Noiz," With a loud protest, Aoba clutches hastily at his bags, trying to keep everything together as they come to a stop in front of one of the doors.

"Don't want you to get lost." In a feat of extraordinary acrobatics, he opens the Coil-activated door, nudging both of them past the threshold before setting Aoba down again, catching the duffel bag full of clothing as it drops from Aoba's hand. Aoba who is too busy staring at his surroundings to retort to Noiz's sass with words.

This is it.

The floors are hardwood; somehow despite the tasteful decor, everything has an understated, expensive feel to it. Noiz forgotten, Aoba ventures deeper within the apartment cautiously, poking his head in one room to the next. Following a deliberate pace or two away from him with an inscrutable expression, Noiz's attention isn't on the furniture or examining the layout, but solely on Aoba.

When they reach the last room (incidentally, the master bedroom), and Aoba is tilting his head quizically at the bed, Noiz holds his breath.

"...it's amazing. Everything. But," Aoba says, turning around to Noiz, "Only one bed? Why am I not surprised?"

Shoulders relaxing, the tension seeping from them, Noiz shrugs. "One is enough." A faint smirk crosses his face, and he snakes his arms back around Aoba's waist, this time from behind. Nuzzling at his hair, he presses his lips to the shell of Aoba's ear in a light kiss, before murmuring, "We can test it out right now if you don't believe me."

"Nn... No- _i_ -z... you!" Insatiable, incorrigible, and utterly unrepentant brat- the list goes on, but Noiz is spared of a scolding from Aoba when an audible grumble of hunger cuts through the room. Neither of them say anything for a long moment, until Noiz starts to chuckle and Aoba hits him lightly on the arm. Face pink, Aoba wriggles free from Noiz, turning on his heel to head out of the room- barely slow enough to be considered walking rather than fleeing. "For now, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

Upon finding out that apart from two pieces of molding pizza in the fridge, nothing edible exists in the apartment, not even a single pack of crackers, they call for takeout.

Roughly an hour later, various boxes are scattered on the dining table, Noiz and Aoba opening each one- the latter peering cautiously into them. Because he knew about Noiz's habit of eating nothing but pizza and pasta, he'd expected Noiz to go for either of the two, but they'd somehow ended up ordering whatever looked good off of a menu that Noiz had pulled up and said, let's order from here. He'd gone along with it, picking a couple things, and then Noiz predictably went overboard.

"I think this is the chicken..." Picking up a piece with his fork, he pops it into his mouth. "Oh-- it's pretty good!"

The chair scrapes across the floor as Noiz pushes it closer to Aoba, leaning in with interest and peering at the carton. Before Aoba can eat another piece of it, Noiz swoops in and pulls Aoba's wrist towards him, eating the bite Aoba intended for himself directly off his fork. "Hmm. Not bad."

"What- did you just- that was mine! You could've at least asked first."

"Why? Didn't you feed me all the time when I was in the hospital?" There's a sly curve to the tilt of Noiz's mouth that suggests he knows exactly what the issue is- Aoba knows he knows he knows.

Protesting, Aoba cups the carton closer to himself with one arm, as though he's afraid Noiz would snatch the whole thing away. Or like it's a safety blanket of some sort against future advances. "That was different, you were--"

"Here, try this." Advancing with his own forkful of pasta, Noiz abruptly shoves it into Aoba's open mouth, cutting him off mid-tirade. Unwilling and too hungry and also not lacking in manners like someone present to protest, Aoba relents and swallows down the mouthful. What doesn't settle in his stomach: the persistent fluttering. Isn't this scenario like a scene straight out of some lovey-dovey couple romantic comedy?

"Okay, now eat by yourself, all right?" Face flushed pink, Aoba resumes eating at a rapid pace, determined not to let Noiz pull him into his pace. He glances at him, waiting for Noiz to continue.

Noiz doesn't budge, staring at Aoba with an expression that he's all too familiar with instead before his eyes fall shut, and he opens his mouth expectantly. "Again."

"...you, seriously-- this is the last time!" Picking up another piece of chicken, he brings it to Noiz's mouth, and Noiz obediently eats it, the fork's tines sliding from between his lips.

But predictably, despite his words, they end up finishing the food while feeding one another in between every other bite, Aoba grumbling all the while.

"But you know, I'm kind of surprised. Have you even had half of this stuff before?" Aoba asks while they're cleaning up.

"Some of it." Noiz shuts the refrigerator door. "I tried it because you said I should, that time."

"Eh? Did I say something like that?"

"You did. You were right, but..." Turning around, Aoba comes face to face with Noiz. He says, "It tasted better since there was special service from you."

Nudging his nose against Aoba's, Noiz's gaze at him is soft, his lips curled up in a soft smile before he kisses him briefly. "Let's do that again sometime."

"...maybe." Aoba's gaze skitters off to the side, and he clutches Noiz's wrist. "Hey."

"Mm?"

"Let's go check-- whether or not the bed's big enough."

"...thought you'd never ask."

 

* * *

 

And just like that, his trial run with Noiz in Germany comes to an end, Aoba flying back to Midorijima with firm conviction in his heart. He's certain of it- that he wants to be with him from now on. Of course, there are plenty of things he's still worried about (paperwork, the language barrier, growing homesick, etc.), but like Noiz had said, he isn't alone. He has Noiz to lean on.

That being said, it didn't mean he couldn't do anything for himself. Since Noiz put so much time and effort into making it possible for Aoba to live with him comfortably, he wants to make it work too. So following the first few weeks of settling in, Aoba finds and signs up for a language class with the help of both Ren and Noiz. And on top of that, he's been occupying himself in the time that Noiz spends working by getting familiar with the city.

It's on one of these nearly daily trips out that Aoba notices the change in both atmosphere and decor in the storefronts and street banners.

"Is it just me, or is everything really...pink...?" he asks Ren conversationally one day while passing by the heart of downtown, and the interior of the bakery they've stepped into is bursting with a profusion of colour. Not only that, but the items on the shelves were varying shades of pink, white, and red as well. Picking up a box of heart shaped cookies, he says slowly, "Wait- what's the date today?!"

From within his bag, the top of his fluffy head poking out, Ren answers, "Today is the 14th of February, Aoba. The decorations are most likely for Valentine's Day."

"It's today?!!" Aoba nearly drops the cookies in his surprise, fumbling with the box and setting them down carefully, before looking around left and right. "Then I should get something, probably- for Noiz. Wait, or would that be weird?"

"I believe that the custom here allows for both parties to exchange gifts."

"Eh? Really? So it's fine... but what should I get him?" Eyes sweeping every nook and cranny of the bakery and finding nothing, Aoba turns on his heel and heads out of there, pausing off to the side of the street to think instead. Wasn't there something that he and Noiz talked about one time?

"Ren, can you find the nearest grocery store for me? I need to pick a few things up."

"Understood," Ren says. "I'll begin the route guidance."

Bolting back to the apartment after a brief trip for supplies, Aoba starts his arduous preparation of making a variety of sweets- mostly simple things, like melting down chocolate and remolding it. He loses track of time as he works, Ren pattering around his feet and giving out helpful advice. It's meant to be a surprise for Noiz, who isn't due back until later in the afternoon, possibly early evening... come to think of it, Noiz hadn't mentioned anything about the date. Maybe it slipped his mind too-- and that's the last Aoba thinks of that, returning his focus back to his cooking.

Putting away the molded chocolate in the freezer with a sigh of relief, Aoba starts to double boil more chocolate to dip strawberries in, coating the fruit as evenly and uniformly as he can.

"Whoah..." Holding up one of the completed strawberries for inspection, Aoba speaks, half to himself and half to Ren. "It actually looks pretty good! What do you think, Ren?"

"It is impossible to judge from sight alone, Aoba." He wags his tail, head tilted back. "Tasting it will work better."

"Haha, you're right. Okay, here goes." Popping it into his mouth, the mixture of sweet and tart bursting in his mouth, he says after, "Perfect! I bet Noiz will love these--"

"Love what?"

Whirling around, Aoba's mouth drops open. "Noiz! What are you doing back already?!" And when did he get in here?

Advancing into the kitchen, Noiz looks around the kitchen with raised eyebrows, surveying the mess of utensils, mixing bowls, and Aoba who is in an equal state of disorder. His eyes land on the half full plate of chocolate covered strawberries, and then make their way back to Aoba.

"For a surprise," he says. "Looks like you had the same idea."

"I thought you forgot! You didn't say anything when you left this morning." Doing his best not to sound sulky at having his plans spoiled, Aoba's gaze is drawn towards the bouquet that Noiz holds loosely against his side.

"That's the whole point of it," Noiz sounds like he wants to laugh. Following Aoba's line of sight, he holds up the roses, smiling faintly at him over them. "I didn't forget."

Aoba flushes, visibly pleased, accepting the flowers from Noiz and speaking as he digs around for something to put them in. "From that time... still, flowers are kind of embarrassing to get."

"You don't like them?"

"No! No, I do." An empty pitcher found, Aoba fusses over the roses, arranging them and then setting them beside the sink. Noiz is examining the ingredients from Aoba's creative endeavors curiously, but he looks up at Aoba right after he finishes putting the flowers away. "Thank you, Noiz."

Moving closer to him so he can lean in and kiss his cheek, he adds, "And welcome back... even if you're earlier than I thought you'd be. I'm not done with everything yet."

Noiz's eyes are shuttered but intent on Aoba's face, and he reaches up, wiping a chocolate smudge off of Aoba's face. He licks off his finger afterwards. "It's fine."

Bristling like an angry cat, Aoba pushes away from Noiz only to find himself caught in the loop of Noiz's arms- trapped. "Can't you give me a little warning before you do that?"

Noiz doesn't answer, peering past Aoba at the strawberries instead. "Those are for me, right? I want one."

"Mm? Oh, yeah, they are. I was gonna make more, but..." Well, the rest is history. Reaching behind him, he grabs one of the strawberries, offering it to Noiz. "Here."

Fingers circling around Aoba's wrist, Noiz holds him in place as he dips his head in to take a bite of the strawberry while Aoba's still holding it. The juices drip down Aoba's fingers, and something wet and warm licks them clean. He's sure his face is entirely red.

"...sweet." Noiz presses Aoba further against the counter, grabbing another strawberry. "You have one too."

"I can eat it myself! And you too, you should be able to, so- all right, fine!"

How many times has this situation happened? Enough for Aoba to have lost count, but not enough yet for him to stop protesting. But he proceeds to eat the strawberry from Noiz's hand, teeth breaking past the hard shell and sinking into the soft body. They're oversized-- the strawberries, and it takes him two bites to finish one. Following the first, Noiz feeds him another, his fingers nudging into Aoba's mouth. His body is a long, lean line of heat against Aoba's, and Aoba closes his eyes as he sucks Noiz's fingers clean.

There's a faint clink as Noiz undoes his belt buckle, yanking his pants down and pulling his hand from Aoba's mouth. They're wet with saliva- Noiz licks his lips, bumping his forehead against Aoba's.

"Did you put it in? The secret ingredient." His voice is low, bordering on husky, eyes bright.

Aoba barely suppresses a shudder, brows drawing together. "I didn't! Weren't you joking about that?"

"Hmmm... was I?" Noiz breathes out something almost like a laugh, breath warm. "Then I guess I'll just have to eat you first instead."

"Wait, Noiz-- the chocolate!"

Nudging his knee between Aoba's legs, Noiz drags his wet fingers over the curve of Aoba's ass, leaving a damp trail in his wake. Hooking an arm around him, he lifts him up onto the counter. In a growl: "I'll have that after I have you."

And any further protests are silenced by Noiz spreading Aoba open with his hands and tongue until they are both doubled over the island, Aoba's legs wrapped tightly around Noiz's waist as he fucks into him, slow and deliberate. Aoba is gasping for breath by the time he cums, Noiz's name making its way from his mouth in fragments.

He trembles under Noiz, Noiz who smears his fingers through the mess Aoba made on his stomach and tastes it just like he did earlier with the strawberry. It tastes like him when he kisses him, licking into his mouth slickly and picking up speed, slowing and stilling as he follows Aoba, albeit belatedly.

They remain locked together, Noiz smoothing back Aoba's fringe from his face and dropping kisses in an irregular line across his forehead, down his nose, to his mouth and chin.

"Thanks for the meal." The smug inflection in his voice is unmistakable.

"I can't believe you," Aoba groans. "This is _so_ not hygienic... do you smell that?"

With a squawk, he sits bolt upright, staring over his shoulder to the stove-top, where a mass of smoke is rising from where he'd previously been melting chocolate.

"Noiz--!! It's burning, the chocolate-! Turn it off!"

In their (or more accurately, Aoba's) haste to shut off the stove and disentangle from one another, Noiz manages to get caught on his pant hem, stepping on it and tripping with an abrupt crash that causes Aoba to yelp in alarm again.

"...ow," he mutters. Already beside him, Aoba is hovering and helping him sit back up. Noiz touches his mouth- his hand comes away red. There's a metallic tang in his mouth. Ah, blood?

"You're bleeding! Are you okay? You must've bitten your lip when you tripped. Hang on, I'll go get a tissue or something--"

A shrill beeping begins to resound throughout the apartment; the smoke detector set off.

Something bubbles up from his stomach to his throat, and Noiz bursts out into laughter. Aoba, half-dressed and forehead creased with worry beside him looks at him as though he's crazy, before his face relaxes into a smile, and then he's laughing as well. The sound of their laughter nearly drowns out the alarm, rising into the air and filling the room like the smoke. Noiz pulls Aoba in for another quick kiss, and then Aoba pulls him to his feet.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Noiz."

 

* * *

 

Living with another person in close quarters has its ups and downs.

Aoba learns this with each passing day he lives with Noiz. Actually, he could write a whole list of things he learns- not only about cohabitation, but about Noiz.

It would start like this:

 

 

> 1\. Noiz can't keep his hands off of Aoba. Given the slightest opportunity, and if Aoba isn't careful, something as innocent as their hands brushing could turn into Noiz shoving his hands down Aoba's pants and then-- well, it's not like Aoba dislikes it. But isn't doing it every day a little excessive? And he's fine with doing it anywhere, anytime.
> 
> 2\. Noiz's brother's name is Theo, and there's an alarming family resemblance between them.
> 
> 3\. Noiz _doesn't_ know how to do his own laundry. Or the dishes. Aoba was the one to figure out the mechanics of the dishwasher and how to load it up properly, teaching Noiz through demonstration.
> 
> 4\. Noiz is always touching Aoba every chance he gets. This is different from number one, because they seem to be touches for the sake of touching. At first, Aoba thought it was because Noiz was still getting used to his new senses, but he's begun to doubt it lately.
> 
> 5\. Noiz can't cook and would be perfectly happy eating takeout every day. Aoba argued against it, saying that it wasn't healthy and promptly took over preparing the majority of meals. Of course, he isn't a master chef, so it's been a slow process of experimentation and practice. However, Noiz is more than content to play guinea pig to his creations.

...which means on weekends when he's home just before dinner time, Noiz will make a nuisance of himself in the kitchen and harass Aoba as he's preparing food. Well, it typically works out to his advantage, because then he can season things to both their likings. And having an extra set of hands doesn't hurt.

"Okay," Aoba says, pushing peeled and washed potatoes towards Noiz, "Now cut these into cubes for me."

Noiz stares down at them likes he's never seen potatoes before in his life, before setting it on the cutting board and hacking a piece of the end off. Then aother. And then another. Supervising him, Aoba nods.

"Yeah, just like that. Watch out for your fingers, okay? I'm gonna start on the other part."

Somehow between the two of them, Ren, and the Usagimodoki, plus numerous references to the recipe Tae sent them on Aoba's Coil, they manage to hash together a passable meat-and-potato stew. Aoba's favourite, and something Noiz has never tried before. It stews throughout the most of the day, the smell drifting throughout the apartment, a tantalising teaser of dinner to come.

Later that night, digging into the stew, an inexplicable burning rises to Aoba's eyes, his throat thickening. Blinking, he swallows and makes some involuntary noise that causes Noiz to look up at him.

"Aoba?" he says, spoon clinking against his bowl. Aoba reads the unspoken question in his gaze: _what's wrong_?

Shaking his head, Aoba digs in vigorously and doesn't reply until immediately. "We did a pretty good job. It tastes just like how Granny would've made it."

The stew settles in his stomach, heavy and warm and he smiles at Noiz. Finishing his bowl off, Aoba rises from the table.

"I'm gonna have seconds."

 

* * *

 

"This is the weirdest bridge I've ever been on," Aoba says, leaning over the edge of the Ponte Vecchio.

It's early summer, and Noiz and him are on holiday in Florence, Italy. Typically, Noiz wouldn't be able to get away for as long as he did, but at the insistence of both his brother and Aoba and under the excuse that it's a celebration for Noiz's birthday, he takes the week off. Aoba, in cahoots with Theo, schemed up an itinerary for the brief trip after Noiz's ambiguous answer of "whatever is fine".

Both of them are dressed lightly for the hot weather, Aoba holding a melting cone of gelato in one hand as he takes in the view. The sun is just beginning to set, suffusing the sky and the water below in shades of orange and pink. Beside him, elbows resting on the ledge, Noiz isn't admiring the scenery, but Aoba. His hair is caught up in a high ponytail, leaving the nape of his neck exposed. Sweat is beading across it. Neglecting to answer Aoba, Noiz shuffles in a bit closer to Aoba, tipping his head down to kiss Aoba's damp skin.

Predictably, Aoba twists from Noiz with a bark of surprise, smacking Noiz on the shoulder with his free hand and then reaching up to cover the back of his neck defensively. "Noiz!"

"What?" Noiz says in reply, absently swiping his tongue over his lips. Salty.

"Can't you behave for five minutes and enjoy the view?" At least no one around is staring, everyone equally caught up in their own affairs and the beauty of the sunset. Aoba's expression twists up into, and he narrows his eyes at Noiz while deliberately edging away from him.

"I'm enjoying it. The view." What isn't there to enjoy? He's got a great view of Aoba, who's blushing and slightly sticky from both sweat and the ice cream he's holding beginning to drip down his fingers, to his wrist. Drawn to it like a magnetic pull, Noiz licks Aoba clean, dragging his tongue up from wrist to fingers to the tips of them, and then he takes a large bite out of the cone. Aoba's shock from Noiz's sheer audacity at pulling that stunt off in front of the crowd of tourists and natives alike gives him time to pull himself from the bridge, heading towards the shops and small alleys.

Aoba catches up with Noiz as he makes an abrupt right into a side street, pulling Aoba with him and cornering him against the stone wall.

"No no no no no absolutely not!" Wriggling in Noiz's grasp, Aoba's attempts to escape are entirely in vain.

"No?" Noiz teases, nosing at the curve of Aoba's throat. "No what?"

"I know you, we're not doing anything out here!"

"I'm not going to do anything," says Noiz in a tone of pious innocence and butter-wouldn't-melt in his mouth. "Well, I was going to say you should finish your gelato. Before it melts."

Both of them stare at the cone in Aoba's hand, which is, true to Noiz's words, rapidly melting.

"I can help," Noiz adds. Helpfully.

"No thanks, I'll eat it myself!" Tugging his wrist free, Aoba begins working on the cone again, with Noiz looking on. At first, anyway. Of course it was never his intention to let Aoba pay attention to anyone or anything else besides him like _that_ , with his tongue and mouth curling over the gelato. It's downright lewd. After about thirty seconds, Noiz joins in, twisting his fingers through Aoba's left hand, where it's pressed against the wall.

Noiz behaves himself- at first. Then he joins in, staying to his side of the ice cream, but as it begins to dissolve, and then Aoba can feel the sly, tentative licks at Aoba's mouth at random intervals. His eyes burning against Aoba's, it's almost a relief when the last bit of cream disappears into Aoba's mouth. There's a brief pause as both of them catch their breath, before Noiz surges forward again, sliding his tongue over Aoba's. It's cold from the ice cream, and tastes vaguely like hazelnut.

By the time Noiz breaks the kiss, Aoba is panting, twisting against Noiz and rolling his hips into him. He doesn't even protest when Noiz yanks at his shirt, a button popping off as it opens. Noiz dips his fingers into the cone, scooping up the last remnants of the gelato and draws a long line down Aoba's chest, laving over it with his tongue. It's a bizarre combination of hot and cold that leaves his skin tingling, a whimper leaving his mouth.

"Noiz," he says, raking his fingers through Noiz's hair. "That feels- weird--"

"Don't you like it?" Noiz straightens, pulling Aoba's thigh and encouraging him to wrap it around his waist, grinding against him. Aoba cries out, and immediately claps a hand over his mouth, worried about someone hearing. Noiz has no such reservations, and he nips and sucks at the pale, exposed skin of Aoba's neck. Pauses at the shell of his ear to breathe out his words against it. "Look how hard you are here. Too bad there isn't anything left... maybe next time."

"Shut up, you perverted brat," Aoba mumbles through the gaps in his fingers. He twists his fingers in the front of Noiz's shirt, arching up into Noiz.

There's another huff at his ear from Noiz laughing at him. Aoba shifts impatiently against him, and Noiz murmurs hotly, "I want to do you."

"Here?" Aoba squeaks out, stomach tightening.

A burst of noise from the other end of the alley interrupts them; Aoba hissing at Noiz to _get off me_ , and attempting to straighten himself into some semblance of order. It's just like he thought-- it's too risky to do anything out here, and even Noiz's lackadaisical _who cares if someone sees?_ can't convince him to change his mind.

Aoba grabs Noiz's hand, lacing their fingers back together. He's flushed down past the collar of his shirt, colour splotched across the v shaped gap, peeking sidelong at Noiz from beneath his eyelashes.

"Come on," he says. "Let's go back to the hotel."

 

* * *

 

Christmas in Germany has its differences from Christmas in Midorijima; it's more festive, for one. And most places are closed. The mood seems to be largely about families exchanging presents rather than a date night like it is back home, to Aoba. So he plans accordingly- purchasing a gift for Noiz from the wages he received out of a part time job he took on, and then dragging Noiz out on the 24th. Noiz isn't big on holidays to begin with, but Aoba can't help feeling excited and getting infected by the atmosphere.

Hence his upbeat mood and good cheer even after he slips on the ice for the second time that evening, at the public ice rink that Noiz and him are visiting following a dinner out.

"Noiz! Let go of the railing and help me up already," he laughs, trying valiantly to get back to his feet to no avail.

"If you were holding on to it, you wouldn't have fallen," Noiz says, carefully trying to maintain his balance as he awkwardly skates over.

"But you can't just cling to it all night if you want to learn how to skate!" Five minutes after they got on the ice, Noiz had done a spectacular face plant and since then, retained the air of a finicky cat ardently avoiding the water in a bathtub. Aoba thought it was hilarious. Managing to get halfway back up and grabbing on to Noiz's arm for support when he finally reaches Aoba, he pushes himself upright. "Maybe we should get some of those walkers instead..."

One look at Noiz's face shows what he thinks of that idea. The minute wrinkle of his nose before he shoots the idea down draws a wide smile from Aoba. "No."

Neither of them know how to skate; Aoba never had the opportunity, and Noiz never had the interest. In retrospect, Aoba probably should've picked out something else to do, but he'd figured, how hard could it be?

Harder than either of them expected.

"Fine, fine. Then we'll just have to figure it out ourselves-- whoah!" In the middle of trying to advance again, Noiz catches the blades of his skates against Aoba's, tripping him up. Aoba makes a desperate bid to keep his balance, but fails. Both of them hit the ice in a tangle of limbs. "Ow... are you okay, Noiz?"

"Fine," Noiz mumbles, and instead of getting up, he pushes his face against Aoba's shoulder. "It's cold."

"Is it? I'm not that cold-- ah, here. You can have my scarf." Gently easing away from Noiz, he pulls it from around his neck, Aoba loops it around Noiz's neck once, then twice. "There. Now let's get up."

Clambering back onto his feet, he helps Noiz up along with him, brushing ice off of him. Noiz doesn't let go of Aoba's hand after, and Aoba is fine with it. "How long are we staying for?"

"What, are you tired of it already?" Aoba says, grinning. "Or just tired of falling?"

"I only fell because I came to help you," Noiz replies, sulky.

"Yeah, I get it, it's all my fault you're not holding the railing anymore." Focusing on his feet, Aoba has another go at it, trying to mimic the movements of the more experienced skaters in the rink. "But now you can hold my hand! Anyway, I think I've almost got the hang of it, so let's stay for just a bit longer, okay?"

There's a pause, and Noiz grumbles his assent.

"Oh- so... how was it? Falling for me?" Aoba teases, and then bursts out into a peal of laughter at the flabbergasted look on Noiz's face, letting go of his hand to try and fumble his way as far from him as possible before Noiz decides to retaliate to the cheesy line.

Noiz catches up eventually, wobbling and his hand shooting out for support- Aoba is there, offering his shoulder. Together, after another brief period of trial and error, they manage to make a complete circuit around the large, open-air outdoor rink without falling once. Then twice. By the end of the night, and true to Aoba's word, they get the hang of it.

It's close to midnight when they turn onto the street of their home, the streets mostly quiet by now, apart from other late-night revelers and couples holding hands walking to their next destination. The bare trees are wrapped in Christmas lights, flooding the sidewalk with bright colour. Aoba and Noiz have been chatting quietly as they walk, their breaths rising in puffs in front of them in the cold air.

At the front of their complex, Aoba pauses. "Hey, Noiz?"

"Mm?"

"Did you have fun today?" he asks, turning to face Noiz head on, hands slipping from his coat pockets to grasp both of Noiz's.

"...yeah. It was fun." He squeezes Aoba's hands. "Thanks."

A fond, soft smile plays at his mouth, and Aoba nods. Rising slightly on his tip-toes, he kisses Noiz briefly. "You're welcome. And... Merry Christmas, Noiz."

"Aoba," Noiz says, catching him in a close hug. He rests his chin on Aoba's shoulder, closing his eyes. "We can do it again. Skating. Next year. Whenever you want. Whatever you want."

An awkward silence follows his words, and Noiz can feel a pounding in his chest, a tightness that he's long since associated with everything Aoba. Did he say something wrong? Aoba isn't answering. Shifting so he can see Aoba's face, he's met with the palm of Aoba's gloved hand smacking clumsily against his cheek. There's an audible sniffle. Noiz pushes the hand away.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" says Aoba, in between more sniffling. His eyes are wet.

"You are," Noiz insists, wiping at the tears spilling over.

"Stop looking already then!!" He buries his face against Noiz, into his scarf. Noiz isn't having that. He cups Aoba's face, cradling it carefully, like something precious.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asks, searching Aoba's face.

"No," Aoba hiccups, and Noiz starts to kiss his face, licking the tear tracks away like a dog until Aoba is squirming in his arms, laughing and crying helplessly. "Quit it--!! You didn't- I'm just happy. Really happy."

"You cry when you're happy?" He kisses the corner of his eye.

"It happens, okay?" Aoba wipes at his cheeks, and takes a deep breath to compose himself and look into Noiz's eyes. "I'm happy because you're with me. I love you, Noiz."

In the distance, a series of fireworks goes off, pinwheels of light forming in the sky. Noiz barely hears them. Aoba doesn't, either. They only have eyes for each another.

"I love you too," Noiz says, "Aoba. So much."

Another silence reigns in between them, interrupted only by Aoba's occasional hiccup. Tilting his head, Noiz graces Aoba with another soft kiss, the depth of it slowly deepening before he gives Aoba's bottom lip one last suck and eases off him.

"Now let's go inside- it's cold."


End file.
